Method of and rack for storing lumber



L. A. PACE 2,247,519

METHOD 0F AND RACK FOR STORING LUMBER 2 Sheets-Sheet l July 1, 1941.

Filed Dec. 26, 1939 il A L R P O /l gw t Op Y m. N

lNvENToR YeL//No A. P//CE July 1, 1941. A. PACE 2,247,519

METHOD OF AND RACK FOR STORING LUMBER Filed Dec. 2G, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Lgf/IND ,4. P1465 )l 4 t I (LAM/W ATTORNEY Patented July 1, 1941 UNETED STATES ATENT METHOD F AND RACK FOR STORING LUMBER 3 Claims.

This invention relates generally to the lumbering industry, and more particularly to the yard storage of sized lumber as received from mills.

It is the present practice in lumber yards to `stack milled lumber solidly in racks wherein the pieces of lumber are laid horizontally one upon the other, with the result that a considerable portion of the lumber, although received straight and true, from the mill, gradually becomes warped and/or twisted, so as to render it unsalable as first grade lumber.

This defective portion of the lumber represents a considerable financial loss to the dealer, as such lumber must be sold at reduced prices, or cut into shorter lengths to eliminate crooked portions, which latter can only be sold for fuel.

It is the object of this invention to provide a method of and rack for storing lumber which eliminates the afore-mentioned defective portion of lumber and its attendant financial loss, and substitute therefor, among many advantages, the following:

1. Insures that all pieces of straightlumber will remain straight and in a fresh condition;

2. Straightens crooked and otherwise deformed lumber which is received green or is wetted;

3. Reduces labor in stacking lumber, and eliminates labor and attendant loss of time in picking out straight pieces from crooked ones when removing lumber from rack to ll an order;

4. Saves space otherwise necessarily devoted to the storage of crooked lumber culled from present type racks in selecting lumber to fill orders.

With these and other objects in view, the invention resides in the method and in the combinations and arrangements of elements as set forth in the following specification, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a lumber rack embodying this invention, and by which the method involved in the invention can be practiced;

Figure 2 is a View of the lumber rack in front elevation;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary bottom plan View of the lumber rack.

In carrying the invention into practice, a rack is constructed of suitable material such as wooden beams to provide a number of built-up horizontal base members l0 spaced apart in parallelism and resting on the ground or suitably secured to the floor of a lumber yard. Rising from the members l0 medially between their ends are vertical members Il which are secured to the members l0 by a tie rod l2 passing through openings in the members and having nuts i3 at their ends.

Adjacent their ends the base members l are provided with longitudinal slots irl through which pass bolts l5 having nuts it for adjustably clamping the lower ends of pairs or other vertical members Il to the horizontal members with the latter interposed between the pairs as shown in Figure 2. The pairs of vertical members l1 can thus be adjusted towards and away from the intermediate vertical members ll to vary the horizontal distance therebetween.

At their upper ends, the vertical members l'l are adjustably connected to the Vertical members Il by sectional tie rods i3 having turnbuckles I9 connecting the two rod sections, one of the latter of which is rigidly secured to the vertical members Il by braces 2D, all as clearly shown in Figure l. Thus, the upper ends of the vertical members Il can be adjusted towards and away from the intermediate vertical members Il to vary the horizontal distance therebetween.

The upper ends of the Vertical members ll and Il are connected by horizontal cross members 2l and 22, respectively, and by oblique braces 23 and 2t, respectively, to stiffen the structure laterally. Additional bracing and supports can be provided in accordance with the loads of lumber to be stored in the rack.

Pivotally mounted on the tie rod l2 for angular adjustment parallel to a Vertical plane to occupy various selected inclined positions are bottom or floor forming members 25 which extend between the pairs of vertical members Il and rest upon bolts 21 which support the members 25 at precalculated angles with respect to the horizontal. Wing nuts 28 are threaded on the bolts to clamp the members 25 against displacement and to enable the bolts to be readily changed from one to another of a series of openings 29 provided in the pairs of vertical members ll at precalculated intervals along the lengths thereof.

In practice, the angles at which the members 25 are supported are calculated in accordance with the proportions of the cross sectional dimensions of a particular standard size of lumber which is to be stored in a compartment of the rack, all in such manne-r that the horizontal and vertical components resulting from the force of gravity acting upon the pieces of lumber when stacked in the rack as shown in the drawings will be in direct proportion to the width and thickness of the pieces of lumber.

Thus, for example, if pieces of lumber whose width and thickness are proportioned two to one such as 1 x 2s, 2 X 4s and 3 X 6s, and with the pieces placed on the bottom forming members 25 with the larger of the two dimensions in parallelism with these members as shown in Figure 1, an angle of approximately 261/2 degrees of the members 25 to the horizontal will result in resolving the force of gravity acting upon such sizes ci lumber into two components, one of which is twice the magnitude of the other.

Therefore, the force of gravity will act equally in directions to urgev each board against the preceding board placed in the same row, and against boards of the row immediately below, with the result that the boards will automatically stack in tight contact with each other both horizontally .and vertically when placed in successive rows upon the members 25..

Therefore, it will be clear that boards placed in the rack in a straight condition will be maintained straight by virtue of their weights being imposed directly upon each other in horizontal and vertical directions instead of in a Vertical direction alone as results from stacking of lumber in hori- Y zontal'racks heretofore'proposed. Should green lumber which i-s warped or twisted be placed in the rack, such lumber will be straightened as the pieces automatically pack closely against one another. The straightening of seasoned lumber can be effected by wetting the lumber and placing sam-e in the rack.

In the operation of stacking lumber, the pireferred method is to adjust the members 25 in accordance with the size of lumber to be stacked, L

by suitable adjustment of the supporting bolts 21, following which a single operator successively places pieces of lumber across the members. As each piece is placed, it naturally slides transversely towards the lowest end ofthe member 25,

so that the pieces automatically aline themselves,

with the rst piece abutting the intermediate vertical members ll. A predetermined number of pieces are placed to form the rst row, after which suitable adjustment of the members Il is made, ifr necessary to bring them in contact with the last placed piece of the first row a-nd in parallel-ism with the members Il.

Other pieces are vsimilarly placed to form additional rcws until the desired quantity has been stackedl The several rows will be connedvbetween the members I I and l1, and the individual pieces will be tightly packed and will be maintained in a fresh condition. 1

It will be noted from a consideration of Figure 2 thatthe stack of lumber also inclines slightly in a direction longitudinal-ly of the pieces so as to insure that rain water will tend to drain to one low corner of the stack.

Itrwill be appreciated from the foregoing description that the method of stacking lumber as involved in this invention effects a saving in labor and time as well as insures that straight lumber will be maintained straight, and crooked green lumber or crooked seasoned lumber which has been wetted will be straightened automatically due to the manner in which the weight of the pieces is divided into substantially equal horizontal and Vertical components so that force is exerted horizontally as well as vertically by each piece upon another.

What is claimed is:

1. A rack for the storage of sized lumber comprising: a plurality of spaced Vertical members; bottom forming members spanning said vertical members in an inclined position for the storing of pieces of lumber in superposed rows o-n the bottom forming members; and means by which the horizontal distance accommodating pieces of lumber between said Vertical members can be varied to enable pieces of lumber to be confined snugly against each other on the bottom forming members between the Vertical members to facilitate straightening of crooked pieces of lumber.

2. A rack for the storageof sized lumber comprising: :a plurality of vertical members arranged in pairs; a second plurality of vertical members 'spaced from the firs-t said members; base members connecting the pluralities of members; upper members connecting the pluralities of members; bottom forming members spanning said pluralities Aof members and having one end projecting between said pairs of the latter; means'pivotally mounting the other end of the bottom forming members; means for supporting said one end of the bottom forming members 'to dispose the latter at a precalculated angle for the purpose described; a-nd means by which said pluralities of vertical members are rendered adjustable towards and away from each other to accommodate a predetermined number of pieces of lumber on the bottom form-ing members.

3. A rack for the storage of vsized lumber comprising: a plurality of vertical members arranged in pairs; la second plurality of vertical members spaced from the rst said rmembers; base members connecting lthe pluralities of members; upper members connecting the pluralifties of members; botto-1n forming members spanning said pluralities of members and having one end projecting between said pairs of the latter; means pivotally mounting the Yother end of the bottom yforming members; means for supporting sai-d one end of the bottom forming members to dispose the latter at a precalcularted angle for the purpose described; and means by which the inclined position of the bottom forming members I'carrbe Varied to accommodate ldifferently proportioned cross sectional dimensions of lumber;

LELAND A. PACE. 

